NEW DELHI: For what appears to be primarily political considerations, the Centre has for the first time relaxed quality considerations for paddy procurement through 20 procurement centres opened in the paddy growing areas of Orissa.
To ensure procurement of paddy in the current Rabi crop, the food ministry, through the FCI, has relaxed the specifications of paddy to “mitigate the hardship of farmers” in the state. Now paddy can be procured even if it contains damaged or discoloured grain upto 5%.
Immature, shrunken and shrivelled grain can also be procured upto a higher limit of 5% as compared to the earlier limit of 3%. So far, 513 quintals of paddy have already been procured by the FCI’s procurement centres.
Though the FCI started procurement centres in drought-hit areas of Orissa last November, no procurement was made of the kharif crop on the pretext of poor quality.